Pouya Dianat/Associated PressBrian Rolston was down and out with an ankle injury in October -- he didn't try to rush his comeback.

PHILADELPHIA -- It took seven cautious weeks, but the Devils finally got their top free-agent acquisition of the summer back Thursday night.

Brian Rolston, who suffered a high ankle sprain in only the fourth game of the season on Oct. 16 in Atlanta, returned to the lineup against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center.

He was anxious, to say the least.

"Absolutely. It's been a long time, obviously," Rolston said before the game. "It's such a slow process with an ankle to just feel comfortable on the ice. I finally feel comfortable enough to play. I'm excited to be back and to get into this routine again of playing hockey."

The concern, of course, was whether his ankle was sound enough to avoid a setback. Sidney Crosby of the Penguins returned too soon from a similar injury last season and wound up missing more time.

Rolston isn't worried.

"I think we've been very cautious," he said. "I feel confident that I am ready. It's just one of those things where you had to take the time and not rush coming back. And we didn't rush it. We took our time. The team was playing very well."

In fact, Rolston said, he probably would have come back sooner had general manager Lou Lamoriello not told him to take more time.

During his absence, Rolston kept busy with his family and rehab. However, it felt strange to be sidelined during the season.

"You miss being with your team, being a part of the team and being in the routine of the season," he explained. "When you get out of it you don't feel part of the team. It doesn't speak about any of my teammates or anything like that. It's just a fact that when you're injured you're away from everything.

"Obviously it was a new experience for me. I haven't been out of the lineup much the last few years."

The length of his absence will hurt his timing. Rolston figures it will take a few games before that returns.

"I think so. I'm just going to keep things simple and work hard," he said. "I'm sure they'll use me on the power play and in certain situations. Obviously you don't want to break up the chemistry we have going with our lines right now. It might take me a couple of games for sure, but for the most part I'm ready to go."

Interestingly, he may be tested on the power play. The Flyers led the NHL in short-handed goals with 10 in 24 games entering Thursday night, and the Devils had two forwards on the power play points with Rolston and Jamie Langenbrunner.

Dangerous?

"Brian Rolston is supposed to be a power play specialist on the point and Jamie Langenbrunner has done a great job on the point," coach Brent Sutter said. "I don't think we should have to change units for certain teams."

Sutter said he would play it by ear as far as Rolston's role.

"Most important is to see how Brian is," Sutter said. "Anybody coming back in our lineup we need to be good players. We're not in a situation where we can allow players not to be at the top of their success."

Rolston was content to take it slow. He was happy to be back and help out his teammates who picked up the slack while he was out.

"I feel great about our team. Just watching them play, I think we're one of the hardest working teams," Rolston said. "We have to continue to do that. I was very impressed with all our players. Patrik (Elias), Gio (Brian Gionta) and Zubie (Dainius Zubrus), who carried us through, these guys are all playing great hockey.

"One of the things that struck me early in the season was how hard our team worked. When you lose guys with injuries like that, that's a recipe for success. That's what we have to continue to do to be successful regardless of who is in the lineup."